Piano or similar stringed instrument



(N0 Mudel.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 L. W. BLASIUS.

PIANO 0R SIMILAR STRINGED INSTRUMENT.

No. 561,959, PatentedJuneM, 1896.

Witnesses: 01, ln lentor.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 3. L. W. BLASIUS. PIANO 0R SIMILAR STRINGED INSTRUMENT.

No. 561,959. Patented June 16, 1896.

$22 221, .w vfw AtLorne-y.

ANDREW GRAHAM.NOTOUTIIOYWASKINGTUEDC I (No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 L. W. BLASIUS. PIANO 0R SIMILAR STRINGBD INSTRUMENT. No. 561,959. Patented June 16, 1896.

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Auorneyi (No Model.) 5 Sheets8heet 5.

L. W. BLASIUS. PIANO OR SIMILAR STRINGBD INSTRUMENT.

No. 561,959. Patented June 16, 1896.

\Vitnesses:

big/Wt Inventor. n. 0404M Attorney.

' ANBIEW B GRAHAM.HGTO-MTNQWASHIKGYOKDC UNITED STATES PATENT ()EETCE.

LEVIN \V. BLASIUS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

PIANO OR SIMILAR STRINGED INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 561,959, dated June 16, 1896. Application filed April 7, 1894. Serial No. 506,684. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEVIN IV. BLASIUS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usef ul Improvement in Pianos or Similar String Instruments, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in the string mechanism of a piano or similar instrument, the string-plate, and means of transmission of the sound produced by vibrating the string to the sounding-board, and from the use of the improved construc tion, as will hereinafter be fully pointed out, many advantages accrue in improved tone, ease of manufacture, and the sounding-board is relieved of strain, and the capacity to form both the string-frame and the sounding-board of lighter material and the sounding-board made more sensitive.

I have in the drawings, for the purpose of more clearly pointing out my invention, illus trated in Figures 1 and 2 as much as is necessary of the construction of a type of piano now in use, while in the other figures I have illustrated my invention.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a plan View of string-frame and its appurtenances, sounding-board, and sounding-board bridge of the character as constructed in pianos new in use. Fig. 2 is a section on line to w, Fig. 1. Fig.

is a plan View of a portion of piano embodying my invention. Fig. i is a section on line 00 to, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a plan view similar to Fig. 3, showing, however, a different arrangement of connection between the string frame and sounding-board. Fig. 6 is a section on line 2, Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a plan view showing my invention as applied to a cithern. Fig. 8 is a section on line y y, Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a section similar to Fig. 4, with the exception that the sounding-board is beyond the string frame. Fig. 10 is a view showing string-frame and its appurtenances, with my invention applied, separate from the instrument.

I will first describe the structure as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, although those parts, which are also in the other figures, will be correspondingly lettered in those figures.

A is the string frame or plate, which may be made in one piece or in several pieces secured together; B, the sounding-board; C C, the soundin g-board bridges, one for treble and one for bass; 0 c 0 &c., the treble strings, an d b 1) N, &c., the bass strings; D, the pressurebar; E, the pin-block, into which the tuningpins 6 c, &e., corresponding in number to the strings, pass. In the treble there are shown three strings for each note, while in the bass there is shown one string for each note. Each string at one end is secured to a tuning-pin, and in the treble the string passes under the pressure-bar D. All the strings pass over the raised portion or bridge F upon the stringframe and over the sounding-board bridge 0 or G. If it is a treble string, it passes over the bridge 0, and if it is a bass string it passes over bridge G, and each string is secured to this bridge, the pitch being determined by the length of string suspended between the raised portion or bridge F and point where it is secured to the sounding-board bridge C or C.

There are quite a number of ways of determining the position of the string on the bridge 0 or O and the portion of the bridge, the one preferable being that of forming the bridge in a series of steps and securing the strings by pins to the steps of the bridge. In the treble bridge each step is of a size capa ble of having three strings secured to it. The string beyond the bridge is secured to a hitchpin f upon the string-frame. The soundingboard bridges C and C are secured to the sounding-board, and the vibration of the string is transmitted to the soundingboard through the medium of these bridges.

As may be seen from this construction and as is well known, the strings being put under considerable tension exert a great force downward through the sounding-board bridge upon the sounding-board, subjecting the soundingboard to great strain downward; also, the strings being of different lengths necessitates a change in direction of the bridge at different points, causing at different points upon the sounding-board different lateral strains, and the sounding-board in the ordinary construction must be of suflicient strength to resist both of these strains, and the capacity to resist these strains is obtained at the eX- pense of its capacity to respond to vibrations or its freedom of vibration. Even so constructed, however, the sounding-board often becomes strained and forced out of proper position and sometimes cracked and broken.

In order to repair or replace a soundingboard, the entire mechanism, including the sounding board, sounding board bridge, string-frame, &c., must be removed, and in replacing it the same labor is encountered and the same care must be exercised as when the piano was originally constructed. The plate or string-frame must also be provided with lateral orifices for the insertion of the sounding-board bridge, and as the greatest strain upon the string-frame is longitudinally these orifices greatly weaken it, requiring the frame to be made heavy or provided with intricate bracing, and the framework to which it is secured also braced, so as to assist in supporting it. The string-frame in the ordinary construction is also rigidly secured to the framework, so that the transmission of the string vibration to the sounding-board is through the sounding-board bridge only. \Vhen it becomes necessary to replace or repair a sounding-board, the whole piano must be unstrung, the frame, &c., removed and restrung and retuned, when the parts are again put together.

The purpose of my invention is to obviate these defects and to overcome these difficulties, and, speaking generally, I accomplish this result by stringing entirely upon the string-frame and independent of any sounding-board bridge and transmitting the string vibration to the sounding-board through the string-frame by connection being made at several points between the vibratory portion of the sounding-board and the string-frame and having the string-frame at other points free from the sounding-board, so that the vibrations of the string are taken up by the frame and transmitted to the sounding-b card.

In Figs. 3, at, 5, 6, 9, and 10 I illustrate my invention as applied to a piano. The various parts heretofore described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2, which are found in the figures above mentioned, are correspondingly let tered. In fact, all the corresponding parts are present with the exception of the soundingboard bridge, there being, of course, additional features and different arrangement and connection of common parts.

In place of using the sounding-board bridge I use the bridges G G, G for treble and G for bass strings, which bridges are connected to the string-frame either by being formed with it, or formed separately and secured thereto. They maybe, if formed separately, made of wood or metal, and, whether formed with or separately from the string-frame, any of the present forms of bridges, whereby the the length of string is determined, may be used, different forms being shown in different portions of the bridges G G in the figures. The strings pass from the raised portion or bridge F to either the bridge G or G, G being for the treble and G for the bass strings, there being no direct connection between the bridges G or G and the sounding-board.

The string-frame is placed in connection with the vibratory portion of the soundingboard by means of projections or feet g, which are secured to the vibratory portion of the sounding-board. These may be arranged as in Figs. 3 and 4, or as in Figs.5 and 6, in both of which the sounding-board is under the stringframe, or the sounding-board may, as shown in Fig. 9, not be directly under the frame, in which latter case the connection is made with the sounding-board by connecting the feet 9 with wooden dowels, which in turn are connected to the vibratory portion of the sounding-board. At all other points than at the feet or projections the string-frame is free from the vibratory portion of the soundingboard. In this construction no strain whatever is borne by the sounding-board, the entire strain being borne by the frame. It is called upon only to vibrate. Therefore the most sensitive sounding-board may be used and may be formed of any material independent of its strength best adapted to amplify sound. There being no bridge connected to the sounding-board, the latter orifices in the frame need not be present, and there can be metallic connection from top to bottom of the frame. The frame may therefore be made lighter and even may be made of metals of less specific gravity than ironsuch, for instance, as aluminium. The piano may also be entirely strung and tuned before the frame is placed in position.

In Fig. 10 I have shown the frame, independent of the other mechanism, strung and ready to be put in place. By this construction ease of manufacture is obtained and the necessity for the great care of construction obviated. As to the former, the piano having no sounding-board bridge may be strung when the frame is off the instrument and secured in position prior to and independent of the securingin position of the sounding-board and the sounding-board put in position after the frame is in position and connection made between the vibratory portion of the sounding-board and projections from frame, as before described. As to the latter, in pianos as now constructed, the sounding board, the sounding-board bridge, and frame must bear a fixed relation as to position with reference to each other, and even with the greatest care in preparing the framework of pianos the parts will settle differently in one piano from the other, so that the adjustment of stringframe, soundingboard bridge, and soundingboard is the cause of considerable trouble, all of which is avoided by this construction. In

replacing or repairing a sounding-board with my construction all that is necessary is to remove the connection between the stringframe and sounding-board, remove soundingboard, replace or repair it, and again put in position, the stringing remaining intact.

I11 Figs. 7 and 8 I have shown my invention applied to a cithern, in which H is the string-frame; h h, &c., the strings connected at one end to the tuning-pins J and J disc, which pass through the frame over the bridge K, secured to frame H, and the other end of strings beyond the bridge K are secured to hitch-pins 76. L L, &c., are connections be tween the frame H and sounding board or box M.

In describing a piano I intend particularly to state that my invention is adapted for use with any character of piano, whether it be a square, upright, grand, or any other type of piano.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is

1. In a piano or other similar string instruments, the combination with a soundingboard, of a plate or frame adapted to vibrate, connection at one or more points between said frame and the vibratory portion of the sounding-board, strings, bridges upon which said string is drawn, said bridges not being di rectly in contact with the sounding-board, and one or more of said bridges being connected to said vibratory frame.

2. In a piano or other string instruments, the combination with a sounding-board of a plate or frame adapted to vibrate, connection at one or more points upon said frame and the vibratory portion of the soundingboard, strings, bridges, pins, on one side of each bridge to which said strings are connected, said bridges not being directly in contact with the sounding-board, and one or more of said bridges being connected to said vibratory frame.

3. In a piano or other string instruments, the combination with a sounding-board, of a plate or frame adapted to vibrate, connection at one or more points between said frame and the vibratory portion of the sounding-board, the frame at other points being free from the vibratory portion of the sounding -board, strings, bridges upon which said strings are drawn, said bridges not being directly in contact with the vibratory portion of the sounding-board, and one or more of said bridges being connected to said vibratory frame.

a. In a piano or other string instrument, the combination with the sounding-board, of a plate or frame adapted to vibrate connection at one or more points between said frame and the vibratory portion of the sounding-board, the frame at other points being free from the vibratory portion of the sounding-board, strings, bridges, pins, to which said strings are connected, said bridges not being directly in contact with the vibratory portion of the sounding board, and one or more of said bridges being connected to said vibratory frame.

5. In a piano or other string instrument, in combination with a sounding-board of a string-frame having connected with it the bridges upon which the string is drawn and connection at one or more points between said string-frame and the vibratory portion of the sounding-board.

6. In a piano or other string instrument, in combination with a sounding-board, of a string-frame having connected with it the bridges upon which the strings are drawn, and connection at one or more points between said string-frame and the vibratory portion of the sounding-board, the string-frame at other points being free from the vibratory portion of the sounding-board.

'7. In a piano or other string instrument, in combination with a sounding-board, of a string-frame having connected with it the bridge upon which the string is drawn and through which the vibration is transmitted, and connection at one or more points between said string-frame and the vibratory portion of the sounding-board.

S. In a piano or other string instrument, in combination with a sounding-board, of a string-frame having connected with it the bridge upon which the string is drawn, and through which the vibration is transmitted and connection at one or more points between said string-frame and the vibratory portion of the sounding-board, the string-frame at other points being free from the vibratory portion of the sounding-board.

9. In a piano or other similar string instruments, the combination with a soundingboard, of a plate or frame adapted to vibrate, connection at one or more points between said frame and the vibratory portion of the sounding-board, strings bridges upon which said string is drawn, said bridges being connected to said plate or frame.

10. In a piano or other string instrument,

the combination with a sounding-board of a plate or frame adapted to vibrate, connection at one or more points upon said frame and the vibratory portion of the sounding-board, strings, bridges, pins, to which said strings are connected, said bridges being connected to said plate or frame.

11. In a piano or other string instruments, the combination with a sounding-board, of a plate or frame, adapted to vibrate, connection at one or more points between said frame and the vibratory portion of the sounding-board, the frame at other points being free from the vibratory portion of the sounding board, strings, bridges upon which said strings are drawn, said bridges being connected to said plate or frame.

12. In a piano or other string instruments, the combination with a sounding-board, of a plate or frame adapted to vibrate, connection In testimony of which invention I have at one or more points between said frame and hereunto set my hand. the vibratory portion of the sounding-board, a the frame at other points being free from the LEVIN XV. BLASIUS.

5 vibratory portion of the sounding board,

strings bridges, pins to which said strings are Vitnesses: connected, said bridges being connected to FRANK S. BUSSER, said plate or frame. FRANCES ELLIS. 

